UK Weather: Showers But No Torrential Downpours Predicted During Olympics

There may be a few showers as cyclists Bradley Wiggins and Emma Pooley race to bring home gold for Team GB in the time trials at Hampton Court today, but they will be nothing like the torrential downpours that soaked the women's road race riders on Sunday.

And hazy sunshine is expected to break across London's Olympic venues throughout the day, completing for overseas visitors to the Games that most traditional of British summers - sunshine and showers.

Stiff gusts of up to 40mph and some sharp bursts of rain will give Ben Ainslie and the British sailors something to think about down in Weymouth.

The Olympic athletes in the capital - including Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who go in the women's rowing pair final at 11.50 am at Eton Dorney - will be able to enjoy some welcome warmer weather as temperatures creep towards the mid-twenties.

But fans planning to watch the Games over the weekend will have to contend with the worst weather of the week, as much of the country will see thundery showers.

Matt Dobson, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said today would be the warmest day of the week.

"Today is going to be quite a bit warmer than we have seen over the last few days, and it will feel quite warm and humid, with a breeze from the south.

"We could see temperatures back up into the mid-20s for the London area, with highs of 23C or 24C (73.4F or 75.2F), which is pretty pleasant and a little bit over what you would expect for this time of year," he said.

"The showers coming late morning and into the afternoon won't be too numerous across London but it is definitely worth taking a waterproof or brolly in case you get unlucky.

"The cycling trials might see some of these showers, but they won't be as bad as Sunday when the women's cycling was taking place.

"Down in Weymouth there will be a greater chance of rain, as a cold front is beginning to move into Devon and Cornwall this morning.

"Winds will pick up during the day across the Weymouth area with quite a gusty, southerly wind, and gusts of about 25-35mph, getting to 40mph by the end of the afternoon along the coast.

"There will be one or two sunnier intervals down there, but cloud will build and bring some sharp bursts of rain as well.

"The main thing is it is going to feel warmer for most of eastern England. Today is going to be the warmest day of the week."

Mr Dobson said tomorrow would be showery across the south of the country, but Friday will be dry and breezy in London as athlete Jess Ennis gets her bid to take heptathlon gold under way, with temperatures around 20C or 21C (68F or 69.8F).

But the weekend will bring more rain, he warned.

"The worst two days of the week will be the weekend. Showers will spread across much of the country on Saturday and Sunday, including London, with the odd rumble of thunder as well.